Storage battery



,T. R. COOK.

mama Apr. 26, 1921.

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3 SHEETS-SHEET I STORAGE BATTERY. APPLICATION FILED MAY H, [918 LR.COOK. v STORAGE BATTERY.

APPLICATION FILED MAYII, I918- Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

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3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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I T. R. BQUK; smmas BATTERY. APPLICATION FILED MAYH, 1918.

1,376,257. I Patented A r. 26, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

plates are packed very tightly in the UNITED STATES THOMAS It. Coox.

BATTERY COMPANY, or

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or EAST CLEVELAND. 01110. ASSIGNOR TO wnmntn's'ronadn CLEVELAND, 01:10,A' conronarronor wns'r vm- Specification of Letters Patent.

PATENT orricij STORAGE BA'IT'JEIEBIY.

Application flied May 11, 1918) Serial n'o. 233,838.

State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usetul Improvement inStorage Bat-- teries, of which the tollowing isii t'ull, clear, andexact description/ This invention relates to improvements in storagebatteries, and has particular reference to batteries of large size, suchas are used in submarines.

Itis well known that when a battery is on; charge, chemical actionproduces heat which is transmitted to the electrolyte between theplates, giving it atendency to rise, and gas bubbles-which pass upwardlyand tend to cause an upward movement of the electrm lyte, buttin storagebatteries generally, and particularly in submarine batteries. the ar,and the only connectin; space between the electrolyte below the. platesand that above the platcs is the space existing between the plates, orbetween the separators an lfthe plates. There bein no-ineans providedfora downward (low ot electrolyte. there can be no material upward flowof electrolyte between the plates, in conscqiauice of which eddycurrents are set up between the plates,

causing a very sluggish circulation, and resulting in very little heatbeing brought to the top of the cell except such as is transmitted byconduction.

It is customary to rentilate submarine batteries for the double purposeof carrying has not, however,

away the gases which are. liberated, and also to produce a coolingaction on the electrolyte, and inasmuch as there is very littleonculation of the electrolyte for the reason ahove explained, there isvery little coiling efiect produced by the air currents which arecommonly caused to pass through the upper portions'of the cells abovethe electro yte'. I

It has been proposed to cool the batteries by forcing outside air intothe bottom of the cell, it being thought that the rising air bubbleswould cause the desired circulation of electrolyte. This latter mode ofcooling been entirely satisfactory.

The )resent inventionv is foreign to that just, re erred to, butcontemplates the proof the electrolyte.

lugs cXtending 'vision of means wherebythere will he a net nral but welldefined continuous circulation This result; is accomplished btheprovision of )roper spaces forthe townward flow of ti from the top tothe bottom of the cell, there-- by permitting afree upward flow betweenthe late's.

-' ie feature above explained is of. considerable value as a coolingmeans, even though employed independently of a-cooling agencv such asair currents passed throu h r mmed A 2 921.

1e electrolyte the top of the cell, but is especially use at whenemployed with the latter.

[The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting incertain novel de? tails of construction and combinations andarrangements of parts which will be described in the specification andset. forth in the appended claims' In the accompanying sheetsfifdrawings, I have shown one, ei lxfiliment of my invention which operateswith high etliciency, although thedetailsot construction and arrangementot' the various parts may be other than here shown, and in thisembodiment Figure l is a transverse sectionalview lookin; at the edgesof the plates, the separators bcinp omitted for the, sake of clearness;Fl

2 is a sectional view at ri ht an les tothat of Fig. 1, looking at theface of meet the ribbed circulation members, one of which. Is preferablyprovided at each side of the cell just beyond the face-of the outermostplate; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view.

Referring now to the drawings,- 1O repre sents the jar or container ofthe cell with a specially constructed cover 11 toadmit of a properventilation at the top'of the "cell. While the details of this coverform no part of the present invention butare claimed in'a' separateapplication, they will he referred to presently.

Inside the cell are negative plates 12. which are" preferably hung fromthe upper part of the celllleaving below the cell apractically'uiiobstruct'ed space 13. At the top the plates are providedwith lugs '15, the lugs extending; front the positive plates being atone side ol" the cell, and the from the negative plates being at theopposite side thus leaving an unthe usualpositive 'and' H. which areconnected to,straps the full width of electrolyte as it circulates.

of the two outermost connection with the feature above and dome 22obstructeu s at-e16 between the lugs for the lateral flow of electrolyteat the top of the cell as the the plates, the electrolyte line beingindicated at 17 in Fig. 2.

To ermit an unobstructed downward flow of the cooled electrol tefrom-the top to the bottom of thecell, l provide special passageways forthe downward flow, and 111' this case this i accomplished by theprovision of rib members 18 between the sides plates and the adjacentsides of the cell, these members 18 being the plates, and being providedwith vertical ribs 18 ,which en age the sides'of the jar, the ribs beingprovided for strengthening purposes. Preferably reduced portions of eachmember 18 extend downwardly to a foot portion 18 which is below thebottom line of the plates and which rests on supporting ribs 1.9projectin upwardly from the bottom of the jar.

%Vith this construction the electrolyte may rise from between the platesand at the top of the cell above the pl and then downward through thegrooves betvfeen the ribs of the members 18'.

'As before stated, I prefer to provide in explained, means forventilating the top of the cell to carry off the gases evolved, and tocool the s here shown, this is accomplished b providing in the cover 11an air inlet an filling tube 20, normall partiallyclosed b a plug 21,between which and the top of the tube air may be caused to pass.Surrounding the tube 21 is a dome 22 with an air outlet 23. The tube 21are ina somewhat elevated central portion of the cover, and beneath theelevated part of the cover I provide a plate 24 which extends crosswiseo the cover, but not entirely to the ends of the latter, leaving a spacefor tllo ingress of air. With th1s construction ai -suitable suctiontube is conn ctedeto the foutlet23, and air enters the tube 20 aroundthe plug 21, passes down-- wardly and sweeps in both dlrections in thespace above the acid to the ends of the plate where it passes inwardlytoward the and then passes into the dome e outlet 23. Certain featuresof the I: ve cover and ventilating construction are novel with me, butthese are claimed in a separate a plication.

It will be u n erstood that the construct-ion of the cover and the modeof ventilating the top of the cell mafy be other than here shown, thisparticular 0 as it is very effective and may be employed with theelectrolyte circulating features to cool the electrolyte as itcirculates to the top of the plates and passes laterally to theverelectrolyte rises from between ates pass laterally.

rm being illustrated tical grooves provided for the downward or returncirculation. Other features likewise may be not wish to be confined tothe precsie details shown, but aim in my claims to cover allmodifications which do not involve a de-.

and scope of my aspects.

of the cell.

2. A storage battery comprising a receptacle containing positive andnegative plates and an electrolyte, spaces 'being rovided to permit anatural circulation o the electrolyte upwardly between the plates,laterally over the plates, and downwardly invention, I claim:

modified, and therefore I do to the bottom of the receptacle beneath theplates, and means for causing a circulation of cooling air currentsabove the surface of the electrolyte at the top of the receptacle.

3. A storage battery comprising a receptacle containing positive andnegative plates and an electrolyte, spaces being provided,

for a natural circulation of electrolyte upwardly between the plates,laterally over the plates, and downwardly between the outermost platesand the adjacent sides of the receptacle to the lowerportion of thereceptacle below the plates, and means for causing a forced circulationof cooling air currents through the. upper portion of the feceptacleover the surface of the electrote. 4. The method of cooling theelectrolyte and f disposing of the evolved gases in a storage battery,which comprises Providing spaces for a natural circulation o theelectrolyte downwardly cell and upwardly between the causin a forcedcirculation of an over the electro yte.

5'." The method of cooling the electrolyte in the cell of a storagebattery and carrying away the gases evolved therein, which comprisesproviding spaces for an upward circulation of electrolyte between theplates,

plates, and

and. a downward circulation between the outermost plates and the sidesof the cell, and causing'a forced circulation ofair over theelectrolyte.

to the bottom of the- 6. The method of cooling the electrolyte in thecell of a storage battery which comprises providing spaces for a naturalcirculation of electrolyte upwardly-between the plates, laterally overthe plates, and

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downwardly between the plates and the sides of the cell, and causing aforced onculatlon of air over the electrolyte.

7. The method of cooling the electrolytein the cell of a storage batterywhich comprises providing spaces for a natural circulation ofelectrolyte upwardly between the plates, laterally over the plates, anddownwardly between the plates and sides of the cell, and introducing airinto the top oi the cell and causing it to pass laterally over theelectrolyte.

8. The method of cooling the electrolyte in the cell of a storagebattery which comprises providing spaces for .a natural cireulation ofelectrolyte u ardly between the plates, laterally over the plates, anddownwardly between the plates and the sides of the cell, and causing aforced circulation of air by introducmg it through the cover near thecenter thereof and causing it to pass over the electrolyte laterallytoward the sides of the cell and out, from the cell.

9. The method of cooling the electrolyte in the cell of a storagebattery which comprises providing spaces for a natural circulation ofelectrolyte upwardly between the plates, laterall opposite sides of t 1ecell, and downwardly betweeii the outermost plates and the sides of thecell, introducing air in the top of the cell near the center and causingit to flow over the electrolyte laterally toward opposite sides of thecell in the same directions that the electrolyte is flowing. i

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

THOMAS R. COOK;

over the plates toward

